Alvaro Ormeno was the match-winner for Iquique, setting up both goals as the Chilean club scored twice in the opening 22 minutes and then held on after half-time as Emelec poured forward, hoping for a comeback.

Having lost both their Copa Libertadores group-stage matches, Iquique desperately needed a victory to keep their hopes of progression alive in the continental tournament but their form did not bode well with four straight defeats heading into Wednesday's encounter.

Ormeno inspired the home team to a brilliant opening surge, running onto a perfectly-weighted pass in the 15th minute before cutting back to Sebastian Ereros, who side-footed the ball easily into the net.

Just seven minutes later and it was 2-0 as Manuel Villalobos ran onto Ormeno's long ball, held off an Emelec defender and scored.

While Emelec, who sit four points clear at the top of Ecuador's Primera A, dominated the second half, a red card to Gabriel Achilier in the 79th minute effectively ended the Ecuadorian club's resistance and Iquique, the 15th-placed team in Chile's Primera Division, took the three points.

The win means Iquique move above Emelec on goals scored in Group 4 in the Copa Libertadores and are just three points behind leaders Velez Sarsfield.

In other results, Boca Juniors grabbed a crucial away win, knocking off Ecuador's Barcelona 2-1 to move off the bottom of Group 1, while Corinthians defeated Millonarios 2-0 and Fluminense won 2-1 on the road at Huachipato.